Joao Figueiredo

Joao Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo (15 January 1918-24 December 1999) was President of Brazil from 15 March 1979 to 15 March 1985, succeeding Ernesto Geisel and preceding Jose Sarney. He was a member of the ARENA party.

Biography
Joao Figueiredo was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1918, and he rose to the rank of general in the Brazilian Army after years of service. In 1964, Figueiredo was one of the planners of the military coup against the civilian government. He served as chief of National Intelligence until 1979, when he was appointed President by Ernesto Geisel, whose social and populist gestures he sought to continue. Military rule was further relaxed, until in 1984 the first civilian for twenty-one years (Tancredo Neves) was electerd President, with effect from 1985. Figueiredo retired after leaving office, and he died in 1999.